Hawai‘i Tourism Authority Board Selects George Kam To Serve As Chair

The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority Board of Directors selected George Kam as its new chair during yesterday’s monthly board meeting. He previously served as its vice-chair. Kam is an active community leader and is a former executive in the surf industry.

“We are in a time of ‘huliau’ or transformative change. This is our time to find solutions towards a pono traveler that balances the opportunities of tourism and the challenges it presents our community,” said Kam. “Tourism can be the catalyst to improve the quality of life for all the people of Hawaii. Finding balance is the razor’s edge, the width of a blade of pili grass. I look forward to working with the community, our elected leaders, the HTA team and HTA board to find that balance.”

The board also selected David Arakawa as its vice-chair, Kimi Yuen as its second vice-chair, and Daniel Chun as its marketing standing committee chair. Kam replaces outgoing board chair Rick Fried, who ended his term on the board on Tuesday as the Hawaiʻi Senate confirmed new board members Dylan Ching, Keith “Keone” Downing, and Sigmund “Sig” Zane.

“These community leaders were appointed to the board and elected into leadership to guide the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority through the challenges that face our visitor industry and the sustained relaunch of Hawaiʻi’s economy. I am energized by the opportunity to collaborate with the entire board under this new leadership,” said John De Fries, HTA president and CEO.

HTA’s Board of Directors is a policy-making entity comprised of 12 members, who serve as volunteers and meet monthly to guide the agency’s work on behalf of the State of Hawaiʻi. Board approval is required for key HTA functions and initiatives, including its annual budget and annual marketing plan, which includes funding support of community programs.